New iMac , MacBook Air, OR Quad Core Windows PC

[SFVCyclone]

OK here is my dilemma, My current workhorse is a windows PC with a 3.2Ghz amd Athlon 64 I believe with 1.5gb of ram. Its ok but I could barely multitask on it and it is quite annoying. Ive been a mac user since the performa days, which is over 15 years now I believe. I want to get the best bang for my buck! Even though I love macs I feel the best bang is on the Windows side. I could get a quad core with a pretty good ati graphics card and 3 gigs of ram for about 800. mac mini, iMac and the Air are only dual cores with less ram but maybe more realiable? It will mainly be used for design and graphics but to surf the net, look at pictures and movies, etc. What are your thoughts?

Nacho

 

[Eidorian]

If you're fine with a Windows based workflow and software then stick with it. It looks like you want the most hardware on a budget.

 

[aristobrat]

I agree with Eidorian. If you want the absolute most bang for your buck, configure a Dell.

 

[Warstrong]

If you really like osx, just try building a pc that can run osx86 (I just got osx running on my amd pc and it's awesome). Or if you like windows just go with the pc. I don't think you need to buy a new mac if you can't really multitask on your current pc which isn't too much worse than the current macs then you shouldn't be throwing money at a new mac. Bottom line: Build an osx86 compatible pc on the cheap, have lots of power, and run windows and osx great and with a smile on your face and more money in your pocket

P.S.- It's usually not a good idea to get an odd number of RAM. When you do get a PC (if you do), you should get 4 gigs of memory (2x2GB). If you look at a motherboard manual it will tell you it's not a good idea to mix memory brands, speeds, and sizes these days.

 

[SFVCyclone]

If you really like osx, just try building a pc that can run osx86 (I just got osx running on my amd pc and it's awesome). Or if you like windows just go with the pc. I don't think you need to buy a new mac if you can't really multitask on your current pc which isn't too much worse than the current macs then you shouldn't be throwing money at a new mac. Bottom line: Build an osx86 compatible pc on the cheap, have lots of power, and run windows and osx great and with a smile on your face and more money in your pocket

P.S.- It's usually not a good idea to get an odd number of RAM. When you do get a PC (if you do), you should get 4 gigs of memory (2x2GB). If you look at a motherboard manual it will tell you it's not a good idea to mix memory brands, speeds, and sizes these days.

I like that Idea. Because I even thought that I could get a mac and intall bootcamp on it and that way I could run both OS'. One of the reasons is that I want to stay up to date on both systems because family and friends often call me to fix their machines and it sometimes comes in handy as well at work.

 

[iGrant]

I like that Idea. Because I even thought that I could get a mac and intall bootcamp on it and that way I could run both OS'. One of the reasons is that I want to stay up to date on both systems because family and friends often call me to fix their machines and it sometimes comes in handy as well at work.

Have you considered a Mac Mini? The are really good computers, especially for the value. I mean for 599.99 even stock, you get a Core 2 Duo 1.8Ghz Machine with 1gb memory and an 80gb hard drive. If you need more hard drive, you can get an inexpensive external hard drive.

I really like Apple equipment, they are always well designed and work well. I have seriously considered going the route of creating my own Mac from regular components but I could not get the simplicity and style of a Mac. I love the look of all the Apple Macs since Steve Jobs introduced the original iMac.

Just my two cents!

-iGrant

 

[Eidorian]

I like that Idea. Because I even thought that I could get a mac and intall bootcamp on it and that way I could run both OS'. One of the reasons is that I want to stay up to date on both systems because family and friends often call me to fix their machines and it sometimes comes in handy as well at work.

Keep in mind the upkeep required to run OSx86.

I got my MacBook and desktop for much less then a Mac Pro or MacBook Pro.

 

[SFVCyclone]

Hey everybody, I really appreciate the responses and the quickness, they are really well thought out and still have my head scratching, But i may lean to the windows side and get a mac later on.

Thank you to all who contributed.

nacho